Forming concrete manholes.



Patented May 23, 1911.

2 SHEETS-8HEET 1.

FIG. 2 i

'INVENTOR.

5; W 4nd, W

n /////////w/ ////////////////M///// w a wamsss v .5 7 new .w p 3 3 5 3 3 Nanak q mu z :48. ///////Z///// G. S. LA MBIE. FORMING. CONCRETE MANHOLE S. APPLICATION FILED mu 14,1

Patented May 23,1911.

I gamma-sum 2.

was

D q xawm w INVENTOR. d-Z-wa A a,

WITNESSES-H CHARLES S. LAMBIE, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FORMING CONCRETE MANI-IOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1911.

Application filedil'uly 14, 1910. Serial No. 572,026.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. LAMBIE, a resident of Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new-and useful Improvement in Forming Concrete Manholes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof. My invention relates to forming manholes for use in connection with sewer systems and the like. Its object is to construct such man-holes of concrete and the like, and to provide a suitable form for that purpose.

These man-holes are usually made downwardly flaring and they vary considerably in depth. For sewer purposes they are usually of a certain diameter at the top and a certain larger diameter at the bottom and' any molds or forms for making the same should be arranged to provide for making these different sizes.

Man-holes are'also usually provided with a suitable ladder arrangement for reaching the'bottom of the man-hole.

These man-holes have heretofore usually been constructed of brickwork, but by my invention I am enabled to form them of'concrete at a very much lower cost and provide a more perfect and durable man-hole.

It consists, generally stated, in supporting within the excavation a downwardly flaring sectional annular shell upon removable supports resting on the floor of the excavation, building thereon a series of like shells with the diameter of each corresponding to those above and below the same, molding the concrete around the shells and so form a manhole removing the support of and dropping the bottom shell, separating it into sections and removing these sections upwardlyfrom the man-hole, and dropping and removing the other shells in the same way. It also consists in certain other improvements in eluding certain improvements in the sec-' tional forms or shells as hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating the man-hole form and its use; Fig. 2 is an outside view of the upper part. of the man-hole; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the lower part of the form illustrating the mannerin which the different sections are withdrawn; Fig. 4.

illustrates the use of the invention for the erection of a shallow man-hole by means of shells of different flare; Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of the man-hole shell Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one section of a shell; and Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the ladder construction.

Each separate "unit or form which when connected withothers makes the actual manhole form is ,anannular shell, downwardly tapering, formed of sheet or plate metal, and itself formed in sections, each section having a flange at the top and the bottom. For example, takfng the shell 1 in the mid-portion of the man-hole, in Fig. 1, it is composed of three sections 2, 3 and 4:. Each section has its separate top flange 5 and the bottom flange 6, said flanges being formed of angle iron secured to the individual sections and set on obtuse or acute angles to register with the adjoining sections and when the three sections 2, 3 and 4 are placed for bolting together they form the annular shell or form, one of the units in building the mold. Above and below the shell 2 is a shell 7 which as illustrated in'Fig.:6, is itself formed of three sections 8,9 and 10, eachv individual section having its upper flange 11 and lower flange 12. I

The several shells or individual forms are made of proper diameter and flare or taper so that the top edges, say, of one section are of the same diameter as the bottom edges of the one above it, and in this way a symmetrical downn-"ardly flaring man holufc-im is built. In building up the form the sections of one shell are out of line or break joint with the sections-of the shells above and below, and as the horizontal flanges of the different shells are bolted together, I am enabled in this way tosecure together all of the shells for thedesired height of manhole without the necessity of bolting the different. sections in any one shell or individual form together. Under the general requirements for man-holes they are usually of a certain diameter at the top opening,

say. for example, two feet, and approXi-.

nmtcly of a certain diameter at the sewer below, say, approximately four feet, For a deep sewer the shells can be provided for making a symmetrical dqwnwardly flaring 1nan holc as shown in Fig. 1. However, where the man-hole is shallow, for example as in Fig. 4, where the sewer comes closer to the surface, n order to' obtain substantially the proper diameter of man-hole at the top and bottom respectively, I. ;may provide some of the individual forms or shells of greater taper.

For example, in said figure, the shells 15, 16 are made of-a flare doublethat of the other shells, and when one of such shells is used afiare equal i. to'two of the shells used in the other part ,of the man-hole can be obtained; Other- ,wise the shells are the same.

In man-holes it is also desirable to provide "a ladder for passing downinto the same, andthe custom has been where these have been built of brick toeither insert bolts or ladder rungs in the brick Work as it'is developed,

ortoy subsequently cut. seats for the same,

and cement them in; To provide a ladder in concrete man-holes built by the employment of my improved form, I form in the edge of oneor more of the man-hole shells,

slots 17 extending through the flange, and

up into the body of the shell, and in placing these rungs rest upon the flange of one shell and enteirthe slots 17 'n the other shell and remain in that position during the filling in of the concrete around the general mold, while the shells canbe removed therefrom in the manner hereafter described. In the shell illustrated in Fig. 5 the slots 17- are in two of the sections, while 'in that in Fig. 6

the slots are in one section.

In the use of the shells in the practice of the general invention as above :described, after the completion of the sewer the pit 24 for theman-hole is dug in the usual .way extending down to the sewer openings 25,

r '26. The man-hole 2 is then built 1 1 Within the pit, and. .I prefer for-that urpose to support the lowest section 27 o the manhole form on blocks or bricks 28 raising it ashort distance above the. concrete or other floor or bottom 29 of the man-hole, any'-suitable means being employed for preventing" the concrete from flowing underthis'lowest shell orsectionofthem'an-hole form. The

"' other andfbolted together; and the sewer; pipe or wallfitted close to the-man-hole' receive the concrete.

pdifierent sections are'then quickly lowered into place and built up one on top of the form as at 30, when the man-hole isready to g If it is but a shallow man-hole 1' may fill the entire pit with concrete, the sides of the man-hole, as illustrated in Fig. 1, I generally utilize'the outer wall of the lower part of it forming the outer wall of themold there or; but ifitis a deep the pit to form the outerwall of the mold to receive the-concrete as at 31, and for the upper part of themold I provide the sectional shells 33, 34. After the concrete has been built up a certain distance these shells '33 and 34 are lowered down over thegeneral. man-hole form and extend up to the top ofs aid form, the necessary number of sections for this purpose being employed. In this case, as the outer shells 33 and 34 confine the concrete, in addition to bolting through the flanges 35, 36 at the top andbottom of the shell, I provide the vertical flanges 37 in the different sections andbolt through such vertical flanges, so forming around the main man-hole form an annular pocket in which the concrete is packed'in the usual way until the man-hole is completed.

, During the molding of the concrete manhole the rungs 18 forming the ladder are insertedthrough the shell at suitable distances apart, for example, one for each section or shell, and rest within the slots extending through the shells, being held in proper position by the shells, and the concrete is packed around the inner port-ions of the rungs 18 and when the concrete is properly set such rungs are firmly embedded therein.

In order toreinove the 1nanhole' form after the man-hole is built and set, the first operation is to drive out the blocks or supbelow thelow est shell and between it and the iloor,providing space for the dropping of the lowest shell away from the inner wall of the concrete man-hole as formed. That shell is then unbolted from theshell above it and is dropped the distance of such space'40 until it rests 'uponthe floor '29 of the manhole as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The three sections forming the same can then be parted and can be separately lifted by a rope out of the man-hole.- Then the next shell 27 above the bottom section canbe lowered and removed in like manner.

When the rungs 18 are reached as the shells are unboltedthe individual sections not con. taining the rungscanibe separately dropped and the sections containing the run scan then be'swung out of place and with rawn, there beingsufiicientplay left in theslots l7 lor'this purpose. After-thowithdrawal of the main man-hole form in this waythe outer shell-33, 34 can also be withdrawn and the pit filled up with; ordinary earth filling, so completing the man-hole. V

My inventionthus provides for-rapid and cheap building of such man-holes of concrete construction, providing for the rapid and easy erection otthe forms,their proper support during the filling of the mane'hole and theireasy separation after "the same,

while it also provides for the forming of man-holes of any desired depth and diamremoving the support and dropping the lowest sectional annular form into the space so provided. separating it into sections and removing the sections upwardly from the -man-hole and dropping and removing the other annular shells in the same way.

2. The herein described method of forming concrete man-holes, consisting in-supporting within the excavation a downwardly flaring sectional annular shell upon removable supports resting on the floor of the excavation, building up thereon a series of like downwardly flaring sectlonal shells, molding the concrete around the form thus provided. removing the support of thebot tom shell and dropping .it onto the floor, separating it into sections, removing the sections upwardly through the man-hole, and dropping and removing the other annular shells successively in the same way.

3. The herein described method of forming concrete man-holes, consisting in sup. porting within the excavation a downwardly flaring sectional annular shell upon removable supports resting on the floor of the excavation, building up thereon a series of like downwardly flaring shells, inserting ladder rungs between the sections, molding the concrete around the forni and the portions of the rungs projecting beyond the form, removing the support from the lowest shell and dropping it onto the man-hole floor, separating it into sections and removing these sections upwardly through the man-hole, and dropping and removing the other annular shells downwardly from the several ladder rungs successively and removing the several shells from the manhole in like manner.

' 4. Annular forms for man-holes, each comprising shells composed of sections and having flanges-at the top and bottom for connecting to the adjoining section, said shells each having vertical joints out of line with those above and below, each shell being downwardly flaring, and the top of one shell bein of substantially the same diameter as t e bottom of the shell resting thereon.

5; Annular forms for man-holes, each comprising shells composed of sections and having flanges at the top and bottom for connecting to the adjoining section, said shells each having vertical joints out of line with those above and below, each shell be' downwardly flaring, and the top of one sli dfi being of substantially the same diameter as the bottom of the shell resting thereon, in combination with removable supports resting on the man-hole floor and on which the lowest shell is supported.

In testimony'whereof, I the said CHARLES S. LAMBIE, have hereunto set my hand.

' CHARLES LAMBIE.

\Vitnesses; i 4

'JAMES I. KAY, I ROBERT C. TOTTEN. 

